I have made progress on the project as a whole. I took down the wall on our side yard in anticpation of a driveway access to the future boat shop location. I've acquired tools and am more familiar with using them. I have also continued planning the project out and researching information about my Dad's band and reason the F/V Escape Hatch is named that way. So while I may not have done as much as I would have liked. Or worked on what I would have liked. Progress is being made. However, this project is about actually BUILDING a boat and I have yet to start. I'm very close, especially now that I have a bandsaw, but I do have a few things to do and get before I'm ready to begin construction.

My next step is getting my space setup with an assembly/layout table. I'm planning on building a torsion box assembly table out of MDF that will work with my table saw and band saw as outfeed tables as well. It will be roughly 7' X 10' with plenty of storage for tools and eventually will have an integrated dust collection system that will run off my shop vac and Dust Deputy Cyclone system I already have. I'm still in the design stage of this but estimate it will cost less than $250 when all said and done. However, I can get it up and going for around $100. ​

After the table is setup I can finally begin building the boat. I will first start with frames 1-4, as they seem to be the most straight-forward and don't require a 10" wide board to cut from. There are a number of items I will need to purchase in order to complete them.

I will need some of the 1-1/4" #8 bronze screws that are called for in fastening the frames together with the gussets and floor timbers. I think since I'm so close to Glen-L it will be fine to order the screws from them and have them shipped. I can get 100 for around $25, which is good enough to begin.

I will also need to purchase some epoxy, epoxy supplies, and a respirator. I'm planning on using Poxy-Shield for gluing up and encapsulating the wood. I can get a 1.2gal supply from Glen-L for $125. I should probably get a little bit of the Silica Filler as well, and I can get a pound for less than $20. The respirator will set me back about $40. Initial total for epoxy and supplies are almost $200

The final step is purchasing some lumber and a sheet or two of 1/2" Marine Plywood. I can get enough to start for less than $200. Then it's time to begin making sawdust and playing with epoxy!

All in all, I will need about $500 to really get this build started. If I were able to get 50 people to each donate $10 I would be able to start. In fact, I already have $50 from my GoFundMe campaign already set aside! That means I only need 45 more people. Even $5 will help. Skip you're extra coffee for the day (I could never ask you to go without, that would be cruel!) and help a disabled veteran pursue his dream!

After a lot of deliberation on how to accomplish my goal of building a boat and taking veterans fishing I've decided to do the most obvious thing...start a forge at home and begin to create videos and other content.

​Ok, it's not the most obvious route for me to take. But it is a route for me to get content out there and to introduce myself and my project to the world. Many short videos can be produced for a small amount of funds. Hopefully it works and I will be able to find some donors to begin building the boat in earnest. It will also allow me learn to create items for the boat itself. I can see myself fashioning door/drawer pulls, tools, and other things for the boat.

I have started my forge on the cheap as money is real tight. Here is a brief run-down on my tooling.

Anvil

I have a 10lb sledgehammer from Lowe's that I am using as a makeshift anvil. I ground the face flat and radiused the edges closer to what I want. I then created a makeshift stand with some scrap 2x4 I had leftover. I left the handle on the sledge as I'm hoping it's a temporary setup and I would rather not re-handle a brand new sledge.

​Hammer

I purchased a 24oz ball pein and 3lb cross pein hammers from Harbor Freight. I had to clean up the faces, especially on the cross pein. But they work. I also sanded off the finish on my cross pein handle and than burnt the wood and put a coat of paste wax on it. Feels pretty good in the hand now. Will probably do it to the ball pein at some point too

Forge

My Mother-in-law used to do ceramics and had a leftover kiln that she offered to me. I was able to take one section apart and use the firebricks in a simple forge. For the flame I use a Benzomatic propane Pencil Torch powered with a standard bbq propane tank. It's not the greatest setup but like the hammers, they work.

Vise

Finally, to round out my home forge I purchased a bench vise. I really need a post/leg vise instead, but for now it will help me make twists and hold material while I cut it with either a angle grinder or hacksaw.

I have hopes of upgrading my tooling soon with an actual steel (not a cast iron from Harbor Freight) anvil of 80+lb, a true forge with actual burners, and a full post/leg vise. But even with this setup I have already created a couple hooks and have tried my hand at tongs and a fire poker. I look forward to creating more things and producing content again. ​